Gatecrash pre-release (Magic The Gathering)

So a friend and I went to our local MTG store and attended one of there Gatecrash pre-release and attended there draft for it, sadly I came in dead last xD I won 2 games but my score was 0-4. Though my friend who is as much as a noob as I am about the game got 3-1 and came in 8th for the draft! Did anyone else attend your communities pre-release, and if there was a draft how well did you do?

So I just got back from the pre release we had 90 packs and about 40 more people that didnt get in 0.o Magic is getting so popular here in Brazil its impressive.
I got a Gideon : D and after 7 rounds of battles and 9 hours of event I ranked 12 lots of free boosters : D

I went 2-2 at my prerelease, out of 6 rounds. My 4th round was a notch of bad luck away from me winning, but I had fun regardless. I paid for my little brother to go so I got the cards he got as well. I was playing Simic and was able to get Biomass Mutation, Zegana, and Master Biomancer, and 2 Fathom Mages. It all just came together really well, even if my luck wasn't.

One had to send home 50 people because they didnt have more than 60 places and the other one was filled to the max with 50+ people.

Insanely large casual community ^^

Originally Posted by Miminz

So I just got back from the pre release we had 90 packs and about 40 more people that didnt get in 0.o Magic is getting so popular here in Brazil its impressive.
I got a Gideon : D and after 7 rounds of battles and 9 hours of event I ranked 12 lots of free boosters : D

So I have a quick question about Extort, a friend of mine and I were dueling and he plays a creature with Extort and ends the turn. When it's his turn again he plays a creature and uses the creatures Extort effect from his previous turn and I tell him he can't do that since he didn't use play a spell. He said that he summoned a creature and that counts as a spell so he brings up the rules and tells me that creatures count as a spell, but at my communities pre-release draft I did the same thing and my opponent tells me that's not allowed, I told him that it counts and he says that's not how Extort works and can only be used if a instant, sorcery, or enchantment.

I want to believe the guy at my draft but I always want to believe my friend, which one is right?

So I have a quick question about Extort, a friend of mine and I were dueling and he plays a creature with Extort and ends the turn. When it's his turn again he plays a creature and uses the creatures Extort effect from his previous turn and I tell him he can't do that since he didn't use play a spell. He said that he summoned a creature and that counts as a spell so he brings up the rules and tells me that creatures count as a spell, but at my communities pre-release draft I did the same thing and my opponent tells me that's not allowed, I told him that it counts and he says that's not how Extort works and can only be used if a instant, sorcery, or enchantment.

I want to believe the guy at my draft but I always want to believe my friend, which one is right?

1. Yes Casting a Creature is casting a Spell that is correct
2. This means Extort triggers also when you cast a creature

Should you understand the stack: whenever you cast something an extort trigger is placed on top of the spell that triggered it, upon resolution you may pay W/B to then leech 1 life, then you resolve the spell.

You can only pay once per Spell per permanent with extort you have, you can however do this on every spell you cast while the permanent with extort remains in play.

Got 4th place in the pre-release. Opened a foil breeding pool in the prize packs.

As to the extort question, was there no judge at your pre-release? You should not trust your opponent ferbster. The judges are there to help you and will do so gladly. Your opponent is trying to beat you, and not only can they be ignorant, they can also have poor morals and try to cheat you out of it.

Got 4th place in the pre-release. Opened a foil breeding pool in the prize packs.

As to the extort question, was there no judge at your pre-release? You should not trust your opponent ferbster. The judges are there to help you and will do so gladly. Your opponent is trying to beat you, and not only can they be ignorant, they can also have poor morals and try to cheat you out of it.

Quick question that came up with some play between my gf and I. She cast a spell that adds first strike to target creature that already has first strike and wanted to play it as a double strike. I wasn't sure how to play it, but let it go as we couldn't find much on it in a quick search. I believe that two first strikes do not stack, same with other creature modifiers, but I'm not too sure.

Quick question that came up with some play between my gf and I. She cast a spell that adds first strike to target creature that already has first strike and wanted to play it as a double strike. I wasn't sure how to play it, but let it go as we couldn't find much on it in a quick search. I believe that two first strikes do not stack, same with other creature modifiers, but I'm not too sure.

It will have first strike twice, but that does not do anything extra, unfortunately.

---------- Post added 2013-01-28 at 04:05 PM ----------

I am definitely look towards Dragon's Maze prerelease now.

All Ten Guilds

When you walk in to a Dragon's Maze Prerelease, you'll get to select your favorite guild from among all of the ten guilds of Ravnica! That guild pack will have a secret allied guild, which will share one color with your chosen guild, and also always be from the opposite set as your chosen guild.

So let’s look at an example: You’re a Dimir player, so that’s the guild you pick. That guild pack might have Return to Ravnica's Azorius as its secret ally (although it could also be Izzet, Rakdos, or Golgari). That guild pack would have four Dragon's Maze booster packs, one Gatecrash Dimir guild Prerelease pack, and one Return to Ravnica Azorius guild Prerelease pack. The two guild packs will be the same as they were in their original Prerelease, but will not have that set's Prerelease promo for those guilds. The guild Prerelease packs will contain the Dragon’s Maze Prerelease promo but not a Spindown life counter, sticker, or guild welcome letter.

One Prerelease Card

Everyone who plays in a Dragon's Maze Prerelease will get the same alternate-art promo foil card, while supplies last. This card will not be playable in your Prerelease deck.

The Maze

There's also a maze! Players (that's you) will work collectively to advance their chosen guild through the Implicit Maze each round. There are prizes for each guild that gets all the way through the maze, and special prizes for the first guild that does it. And when the maze is completed, all participating players will receive a premium (foil) basic land promo card!

No Basic Land in Dragon's Maze Booster Packs

Wait... that sounds kind of negative. Let's rephrase it.

Dragon's Maze Booster Packs All Contain Nonbasic Lands

That's better! The fifteenth card in all Dragon's Maze packs isn't basic land; it's nonbasic land. All ten guildgates will be showing up (with the Dragon's Maze expansion symbol), as will all ten shocklands from Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash (with their Return to Ravnica or Gatecrash symbols). You are about half as likely to open a shockland in Dragon's Maze as in Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash and, since this is for all ten shocklands rather than five, that means you are about a quarter as likely to open a specific one. There's also a mythic rare land from Dragon's Maze that will show up there sometimes!

every one of my key strokes is actually a brush stroke on the canvas that is the off-topic forum

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I miss magic. I remember Richard Garfield signing my guantlet of might at the first Canadian Championship way back in the day. Unfortunately I got kicked out of the tournament for being drunk. My brother did alright and came in 22nd place. Wish we knew at the time 4 balances was allowed.

Just have to throw this question out here: Do you guys think Planeswalkers bring value to this game?

I used to play MTG prior to them being introduced, but still buy a display of boosters every now and then to play limited with my friends. Whenever somebody gets a Planeswalker in his pool he instantly goes for that color and proceeds to roflstomping the others as soon as the Planeswalker is cast during a game... I probably wouldn't mind seeing them gone or nerfed.

Well, it depends... I don't think I understand what you mean by "bring value to the game". Anything that allows something different brings value to the game, therefore the answer would immediately be "yes".

Having said that, limited is actually quite balanced and planeswalkers aren't going to be in the game that often. In addition, only a few planeswalkers are bombs, some others are simply ok, and some are actually really poor in limited.

Just have to throw this question out here: Do you guys think Planeswalkers bring value to this game?

I used to play MTG prior to them being introduced, but still buy a display of boosters every now and then to play limited with my friends. Whenever somebody gets a Planeswalker in his pool he instantly goes for that color and proceeds to roflstomping the others as soon as the Planeswalker is cast during a game... I probably wouldn't mind seeing them gone or nerfed.

No. But it's not just planeswalkers. The implementation of mythic rares in general added a card balance issue that causes more problems. Nowadays, you feel required to use rares and mythics, meaning you're going to end up spending more money, because if you don't, even in casual play, you're going to lose constantly.

Well, it depends... I don't think I understand what you mean by "bring value to the game". Anything that allows something different brings value to the game, therefore the answer would immediately be "yes".

Having said that, limited is actually quite balanced and planeswalkers aren't going to be in the game that often. In addition, only a few planeswalkers are bombs, some others are simply ok, and some are actually really poor in limited.

Adding more mechanics doesn't necessarily bring more value to a game if, for instance, those mechanics are toxic. All I've seen of them is their ridiculous power in limited where, even in the worst case for it's caster, it could be considered a life gain equal to their loyality points plus the +1 or whatever ability. In the games I've played, all they did was force the opposing player to do suicidal attacks in order not to lose the game the instant the Planeswalker has sufficient loyality to wreak havoc.

Putting it that way, though, I guess dropping a Planeswalker make for interesting scenarios... But do they really need to be his strong? In many limited games, dropping a planeswalker in the early game is often means an instant win, or at least a huge advantage. You luck out drawing it out of a booster, you luck out finding it among the top cards of your library then win due to the incredible mana efficiency. Meh.

Originally Posted by Pendulous

No. But it's not just planeswalkers. The implementation of mythic rares in general added a card balance issue that causes more problems. Nowadays, you feel required to use rares and mythics, meaning you're going to end up spending more money, because if you don't, even in casual play, you're going to lose constantly.

I guess that's true. However outside of planeswalkers I've seen few broken mythic rares in our limited pools. A lot of them turn up that's for sure but they're managable.

I still don't get it. You might be complaining about bombs, not planeswalkers. When was the last time you got extremely happy about getting a nissa in zendikar sealed? What about a tibalt in, well, ANYTHING? Are those not planeswalkers?

What about stuff like liliana v1 or chandra v1 which were overcosted for their abilities? What about ajani v1 which was simply "okay" ?

Conversely, we've got angel of serenity, griselbrand, several types of green-based bombs, bonfire, etc, which are all mythics that as soon as you draw them, you win in limited.

I really have a feeling you're whining without full knowledge of the cause. If you have a problem with bombs, say it. Not all planeswalkers are limited bombs.

Two more things. First, if it were toxic, why would players not complain AND/OR wizards not do something about it? They are far from toxic, and why? Because THEY BRING VARIETY, which is a GOOD thing. Are you knowledgeable in limited? Do you understand the concepts of reading a draft table and passing signals?

Second, yes, they are fun in constructed (and limited). Some allow for new strategies. Others complement existing strategies. Some, well, are crap. Some are great but don't quite fit anywhere that works. Just like any other card, I guess...

I still don't get it. You might be complaining about bombs, not planeswalkers. When was the last time you got extremely happy about getting a nissa in zendikar sealed? What about a tibalt in, well, ANYTHING? Are those not planeswalkers?

What about stuff like liliana v1 or chandra v1 which were overcosted for their abilities? What about ajani v1 which was simply "okay" ?

Conversely, we've got angel of serenity, griselbrand, several types of green-based bombs, bonfire, etc, which are all mythics that as soon as you draw them, you win in limited.

I really have a feeling you're whining without full knowledge of the cause. If you have a problem with bombs, say it. Not all planeswalkers are limited bombs.

Two more things. First, if it were toxic, why would players not complain AND/OR wizards not do something about it? They are far from toxic, and why? Because THEY BRING VARIETY, which is a GOOD thing. Are you knowledgeable in limited? Do you understand the concepts of reading a draft table and passing signals?

Second, yes, they are fun in constructed (and limited). Some allow for new strategies. Others complement existing strategies. Some, well, are crap. Some are great but don't quite fit anywhere that works. Just like any other card, I guess...

Hey, slow down, would you. I'm genuinly curious about the mechanics since I haven't engaged in the game since their introduction, and while I have somewhat disliked them since I first heard of them I can understand why someone would enjoy them. In fact, perhaps I will too, which is partly why I asked the question and vented my opinion in the first place.

Now, I don't know all of the Planeswalkers. I'm certain some are stronger than others - that's part of what makes this game great in the first place - but from my experience, drawing a Planeswalker in limited has meant an instant advantage. Obviously there are other bombs as well although they're not always limited to being mythic rare (or even rare for that matter).

I guess what I'm saying is I feel like some cards (not only Planeswalkers, although pointed them out initially) are too cost efficient and/or powerful. I guess it's more reasonable in constructed (other than the price..) but in limited you lack counterplay. Let's imagine a card with a cost of R. Instant, Split Second, which smites the opposing player for 20 damage. Real fun, right? No, not really. It'd be far, far too strong for it's cost. Obviously Planeswalkers (and other bombs) aren't that strong, but where is the line drawn?

Hey, slow down, would you. I'm genuinly curious about the mechanics since I haven't engaged in the game since their introduction, and while I have somewhat disliked them since I first heard of them I can understand why someone would enjoy them. In fact, perhaps I will too, which is partly why I asked the question and vented my opinion in the first place.

Now, I don't know all of the Planeswalkers. I'm certain some are stronger than others - that's part of what makes this game great in the first place - but from my experience, drawing a Planeswalker in limited has meant an instant advantage. Obviously there are other bombs as well although they're not always limited to being mythic rare (or even rare for that matter).

I guess what I'm saying is I feel like some cards (not only Planeswalkers, although pointed them out initially) are too cost efficient and/or powerful. I guess it's more reasonable in constructed (other than the price..) but in limited you lack counterplay. Let's imagine a card with a cost of R. Instant, Split Second, which smites the opposing player for 20 damage. Real fun, right? No, not really. It'd be far, far too strong for it's cost. Obviously Planeswalkers (and other bombs) aren't that strong, but where is the line drawn?

That last example is kind of odd.

Cards can have many different strengths. One could be amazing in limited, but horrible in constructed. Take a look at this card.

In constructed no one gives this card the time of day because you can not be using cards the way you do in limited and it will get blown out by one of the many board wipes we have right now. In limited Pack Rat is an automatic win because there isn't much removal in RTR.

Planeswalkers as well can be bad or good depending on the environment. Jace 3 was incredible because you won a few turns later after you milled them. Domri Rade's playability in constructed has yet to be seen, but in limited you had to be quite lucky to make him work even more, although that didn't stop him from being used for removal a few times.

A lot of times in limited it all comes down to your luck in your draft/sealed pool and how much removal you got access to and how you play it. At my GTC prerelease I played Simic and only had access to one Raprid Hybridization, one Aetherize, and one Totally Lost, which definitely hurt compared to other people getting much more removal than me, but I got cards like Master Biomancer, Biomass Mutation, and Zegana, which are cards that were plenty bomby and could be interacted with, although when you draw 8 cards from Zegana and every creatures gets +2/+2 it is definitely a hill to climb.

I have had plenty of shitty sealed pools and some goods ones, but I know I have lost plenty of games to play mistakes even when my pool was amazing, but there are times when no matter what you do you can't even make a bad pool good.